SBS News In Depth

As the government works to attract greater investment from AI companies, its commitment to strong copyright protections for Australian creatives has come into focus. An opt-out model is being considered, which would require copyright holders to take active steps to prevent their content being scraped and used to train AI. It comes as the government negotiates with big tech companies in an effort to attract investment and data centres.

As the nation celebrates seven decades of broadcast television, the industry also confronts questions about the future in an increasingly digital world. For more on this, we spoke with Dr Timothy Koskie, a post-doctoral research associate at The University of Sydney's Centre for AI Trust and Governance.

Over the weekend, an Australian athlete was pictured with faeces on her legs, after experiencing a bowel movement during a HYROX fitness competition in China. While such incidents are relatively common in high endurance sports, it has sparked heated debate and raised questions over hygiene and fairness in the competition. It's also prompted broader questions over the benefits, and the short and long term risks associated with pushing the physiological limits of the human body.

For nearly a century, Australians have believed that around 250,000 people lived here before colonisation. New research from a national team of academics suggests that number is far too low. They believe there could have been about 2.2 million Indigenous Australians living here before the British colonised the continent in 1788. SBS News reporter Josie Harvey spoke with Corey Bradshaw, a professor of global ecology at Flinders University, who co-led the research. He says the findings point to a devastating population decline by more than two million after 1788, driven by disease, violence and dispossession. Professor Bradshaw says understanding that history is vital to truth-telling, reconciliation and recognising the resilience of First Nations communities.

Early last year, U-S President Donald Trump returned to the White House promising lower prices, tighter borders, fewer wars and a return to what he called common sense government. But now, his administration is facing trade retaliation, an unresolved war with Iran, legal setbacks over immigration and voting, and growing resistance from within his own party. We look at the widening gap between campaign promises and governing reality - from tariffs and war powers to White House ballrooms and a bizarre Senate hearing over FBI recruitment rules. 

The university sector is pushing back against One Nation's migration plan, which would cut hundreds of thousands of international student and graduate places over three years. Pauline Hanson says she's reflecting the will of the people, but industry leaders say the policy could wreak havoc on the economy and worsen skills shortages. The policy has also prompted fresh calls for reform and investment in research and education.In this podcast episode, we hear how One Nation's proposed migration cuts have triggered strong opposition from universities, student groups and industry leaders, who argue the policy would harm education, research, economic growth and Australia's skilled workforce.The main points:One Nation has proposed major migration cuts:The party wants to reduce migration by more than 750,000 places over three years, targeting international students, graduate visa holders, skilled migrants and their families.Universities warn of serious economic and research impacts:University leaders argue the cuts would damage Australia's international education sector, reduce research funding, hurt the economy, and put jobs at risk. They say international education contributes billions of dollars annually.The policy has become part of a broader political debate:Critics from the university sector say One Nation is not alone in seeking tighter student migration settings, arguing both Labor and the Coalition have also supported measures such as student caps and visa restrictions.International students and universities reject claims they are "visa factories"Student representatives say international students have not been properly consulted in the debate and support stronger quality controls rather than arbitrary visa cuts. Universities argue most international students return home after graduating and are not using study as a migration pathway.Business groups warn the cuts could worsen skills shortages:Industry leaders say reducing skilled migration and graduate visas could deepen existing labour shortages in sectors such as engineering, healthcare, aged care, trades and cybersecurity. They are calling for a more efficient and transparent migration system instead of large reductions.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and international cricketer Imran Khan has been in jail for three years. Former Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell is one of a number of luminaries in the sport to appeal to authorities on the treatment Khan is receiving in prison. He has spoken to SBS World News' Naveen Razik.Former Pakistan Prime Minister and international cricketer Imran Khan has been in jail for three years, since his arrest in 2023. Former Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell is one of a number of sporting greats to appeal to authorities about the treatment Khan is receiving in prison. He has spoken to SBS World News' Naveen Razik.

With hotter temperatures and more extreme weather becoming a fixture of Australia's holiday season, does this signal the end of the great Aussie summer? Should we schedule our 'peak' summer — holidays, school breaks and sporting events — according to safety rather than tradition?With hotter temperatures and more extreme weather becoming a fixture of Australia's holiday season, does this signal the end of the great Aussie summer?Should we schedule our 'peak' summer — holidays, school breaks and sporting events — according to safety rather than tradition?

As Iran and the United States fight over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a major artery carrying oil to the world from Saudi Arabia has been compromised. Drones have struck the East-West Pipeline, causing extensive damage that could take weeks to recover from. And now, one of two routes out of the Red Sea is also under threat, as Iran-backed Houthi forces advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.As Iran and the United States fight over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a major artery carrying oil to the world from Saudi Arabia has been compromised.Drones have struck the East-West Pipeline, causing extensive damage that could take weeks to recover from.And now, one of two routes out of the Red Sea is also under threat, as Iran-backed Houthi forces advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

One Nation has announced plans to slash migration by more than 750,000 places over three years, in what would be a major 'reset' of the country's migration system. International students, recent graduates, and their family members would be hardest hit, with places reduced by almost 470,000 over three years. Temporary skilled visas would be cut by just over 100,000, and family members would no longer be eligible to receive visas. The policy has been criticised by the government, opposition, and some industry leaders.

Nine years after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people fled Myanmar, the crisis has entered a dangerous new phase. As neighbouring countries push for their repatriation, UN experts are warning it isn't safe and their home country is in a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Animation fans around the world have a rare chance to own a piece of British cinematic history as Aardman auctions off over 220 iconic puppets and memorabilia. Aardman is the studio behind such famous animated creations as Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. The sale coincides with the studio's 50th anniversary with profits being reinvested in training a new generation of animators.

This week we have been bombarded with video footage and memories of the 9-11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. For those of us who reported on it at the time, it remains a defining moment in our lives - we will never forget it. And for many people around the world, as they watch the Twin Towers crumble and the almost incredible change in the world as a result, it is understandably something that is seared in their memories. And for many people, not just in America but around the world, those recurring images will have brought back unwelcome thought and concerns. They can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD symptoms or general anxiety for many people. Dr Jaryd Hiser is a psychologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and he explains what the stress reaction warning signs are that we should watch for, and shares coping tips and when to seek professional help.

Four years ago, sports fan Neha Kumar stumbled across an advertisement for the NRLW and realised she barely knew the women’s competition existed. So she decided to do something about it. The Fijian-Indian Australian created Watch Her Footy, a social media platform dedicated to women’s rugby league that now has around 23-thousand followers.

August 2026 was the world’s joint hottest month ever recorded, pushing global temperatures back above 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. In Italy, glaciologists say that heat is accelerating the retreat of Alpine glaciers, with one Lombardy glacier losing 31 metres this year and some monitoring delayed because the melt season hasn’t yet ended.

The AfD wins big in German elections, the first time for a far-right party since World War II. 12 countries, including the UK, France and Canada have announced a trade ban on all goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, will others follow suit? And Nepal struggles to grapple with the scale of devastation from flash floods. Plus, the award-winning research into cockroach milk.

Royal Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia have released their national drowning report, revealing 313 lives lost in Australian waterways over the past 12 months. The figures have prompted calls to address growing inequalities, with drowning rates significantly higher in regional and remote areas than in major cities.

Last year, Australian police recorded almost 40,000 reports of sexual assault, down one per cent from the record high recorded in 2024. Six out of ten occurred outside family or intimate partner relationships, highlighting sexual assault as a distinct national problem. These are some of the statistics highlighted in the Domestic, Family and Sexual Commissioner's annual update to parliament. It's the Commission's third update since 2022, when Labor launched its plan to end gender-based violence in a generation. To hear more, SBS reporter Tee Mitchell spoke to Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, Micaela Cronin.

Reports of sexual violence in Australia have reached their highest level in 33 years, according to the latest report by the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission. Experts say that migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum can face higher barriers to disclosing domestic and family violence. It's sparked calls for more education and funding to support culturally-responsive support services. And a warning, this story contains references to family and domestic violence.

Before sunrise on the French Riviera, inside a quiet hilltop museum once home to Pierre‑Auguste Renoir, thieves slipped through a garden fence and into the headlines. They intended to take 12 Renoir Paintings, but managed to get four. And as police swarmed in, dropped two while making a panicked escape. Now the art world is once again asking: Who steals masterpieces they can never sell?

It's been 25 years since nearly 3,000 people were killed in the September 11 attacks, which triggered the US-led War on Terror and drew Australia into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. A quarter-of-a-century later, former prime minister John Howard and security experts say the terrorist threat has evolved into something far more complex.It's been 25 years since nearly 3,000 people were killed in the September 11 attacks, which triggered the US-led War on Terror and drew Australia into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. A quarter-of-a-century later, former prime minister John Howard and security experts say the terrorist threat has evolved into something far more complex.

Major sporting events have always had a special place in Melbourne. It's the home of the AFL grand final, Australian Open tennis, Formula One's season opening race and the Melbourne Cup, just to name a few. And this Friday morning it will become the host of an historic NFL game. It's the culmination of sporting connections between a major American sport and Australia that goes back to 1908.

New research has put a dollar value on the benefits of providing settlement supports to humanitarian migrants. A report from Deloitte Access Economics found providing support early is the key to improving economic outcomes, as well as education, skills and well being. Here's what you need to know.

Australia’s residential property wealth has fallen for the first time in four years, helping push consumer confidence deeper into pessimistic territory. In this episode of SBS On the Money, Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Matt Hassan, Senior Economist at Westpac, about what the housing downturn means for homeowners, spending and interest rates. The Australian sharemarket also hits a six-week low, with Stuart Roberts from Stocks Down Under unpacking the market moves, while a weaker French wine harvest could soon mean higher prices for champagne as wine economist Kym Anderson tells Tom Kennedy.

One Nation has proposed a policy to allow homeowners and renters to unlock some of their super to pay pressing bills. The government has moved to scuttle the policy, while the opposition and economists have warned it will drive up inflation, and cause more interest rate rises that will increase cost of living pressures further.

As Australia settles into spring, experts are urging people not to let their guard down against seasonal illnesses. Respiratory illnesses continue to circulate among populations, with higher spring pollen levels also expected to trigger asthma and allergy symptoms. Here's what you need to know.

Veterans’ advocate groups have descended on Canberra to protest against a proposed cap on allied health services. A series of decorated former service members laid down their medals in a symbolic show of resistance. The government continues to resist the pressure, as the Coalition throws its weight behind veterans.

The Alternative for Germany Party, or AfD has celebrated surging into first place in exit polls from the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt putting a far-right party on the cusp of power at state level for the first time since World War Two. It has emerged as the strongest political force in the eastern German state but apparently has fallen short of the absolute majority it had sought to govern alone.

Eleven days after an ice-rock avalanche triggered a deadly mudslide in Nepal, two more survivors have been found alive. It's a rare sign of hope in a disaster that has killed more than 1,300 people and left nearly 4,900 others missing, including 36 Australians.

SBS reporter Natalie Poyhonen speaks to Professor Leslie Loble from UTS, previously a deputy secretary in the NSW department of Education, about for the future of teaching, research and learning in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

In the first national study of its kind, a new report by the University of Melbourne's BlakAbility team, examined the experiences of Indigenous people with lived experience of incarceration and disability. SBS reporter Yasmine Alwakal speaks to researchers Dr Sharon Kerr and Ngiyampaa and Wiradjuri woman, Dr Roslyn Sackley on their findings.

It was a week of diplomacy dominated by security, climate change and growing competition for influence in the Pacific. But as issues involving China and Taiwan repeatedly pushed their way onto the agenda of the forum - are the regional tensions a litmus test for the 18-member forum?

Tributes have poured in from around the world hailing Gloria Steinem as a "hero" after her death at the age of 92. Steinem is being remembered as one of the trailblazers for women's equality.

Nepal’s new government struggles under a cataclysmic landslide and blames climate change. Iceland says no to even considering EU membership and the Pacific Islands Forum in disarray over Taiwan’s presence. Plus, a very un-Norwegian royal.

More than four years into the war, fighting between Russia and Ukraine is reaching new heights.

Pill testing is set to be rolled out at a range of music festivals in New South Wales this summer. But there are now questions about how the rest of Australia will handle the issue - and whether it goes too far or not far enough.

At the Pacific Islands Forum, the government announced a $600 million dollar package to fight fight trans-national drug trafficking in the Pacific. Political correspondent Naveen Razik speaks to leading crime expert from Honiara - Virginia Comolli about the situation on the ground and how it's caused in part by the huge market for illicit substances in Australia

As bird flu takes hold across Australia, experts are warning of widespread mortality in native species, based on how the virus has ripped through environments overseas. The disease rarely infects humans, but it could drive a rise in eco-anxiety, especially among communities that are closely connected with nature.

The United States and Iran are talking about diplomacy, while exchanging increasingly severe threats and attacks. Washington says its latest strikes are retaliation, Tehran says its response is not over, and countries across the Gulf are trying to stop the confrontation escalating further. But as the diplomatic language continues, so too does the human cost.

Was it just a matter of time before circumstances caused the flooding disaster in Nepal? Alton Byers is a mountain geographer and a faculty research scientist at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He specializes in applied research, high altitude ecosystems, glacier hazards, and implementation of integrated conservation and development programs in the Himalayas, Andes, and East African Highlands. He's told the Associated Press that climate change is affecting the structure of mountain geology around the world.

Australia’s property downturn is gathering pace just as the busy spring selling season begins. Cotality Head of Research Tim Lawless explains what falling prices mean for buyers and sellers, while VanEck’s Jamie Hannah unpacks the Australian sharemarket’s subdued session, rising oil prices and higher bond yields.

New research has revealed that the thylacine, or the Tassie tiger was unlike any living mammal today. SBS reporter Yasmine Alwakal speaks to Vera Weisbecker, a professor of Evolutionary Biology at Flinders University who says the story of the Thylacine offers a warning about the risks of contemporary extinction.

After promising "consequences" for Taiwan's presence at the Pacific Islands Forum, China is denying comments by a senior diplomat are a threat - and that it has engaged in foreign interference. Taiwan's expanded role at the forum has enraged Beijing and there are concerns the rivalry will overshadow potential progress on regional issues, particularly climate action.

Rescue and recovery efforts continue in Nepal, where one teacher is being praised for a snap decision that saved hundreds of students' lives. As the death toll and list of missing people in the flood devastated region grows, the search for survivors becomes increasingly desperate.

Are we alone in the universe? It's one of humanity's most pressing questions. NASA now believes it's a step closer to answering that very question with the launch of a new telescope that it says could unlock some of the universe's biggest mysteries.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Piers Bolger from Infinity Asset Management about the day's market action including how investors reacted to Kevin Warsh's speech at Jackson Hole as he offers his earnings season report card.

Knockoffs aren't anything new in the fashion industry, but experts say the rise of online shopping has made it easier to find duplicated designs. Business owners and fashion law experts are calling for better education to ensure smaller designers can protect their creative work before it hits the runway.

More than 800 people have been killed, and over 3000 missing in Nepal after devastating floods swept the region last week. With 43 Australians still unaccounted for, experts say the threat of further flooding makes rescue efforts trickier.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is among the leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum meeting Leaders Meeting in Palau.

Teachers are frequently being targeted by misogyny, sexism and gendered violence at school, according to new research from Monash University. Most of those surveyed said so-called 'manosphere' content is influencing student attitudes and behaviour. A warning - some listeners may find this story disturbing.